One for the road: T&T dusts off setbacks; on brink of Women’s W/Cup

The Trinidad and Tobago national women’s senior team moved within 90 minutes of a place at the Canada 2015 Women’s World Cup tournament yesterday after another hard-fought triumph at the 2014 CONCACAF Championship.

This time, Guatemala was the victim as the “Women Soca Warriors” downed the Central American nation 2-1 at the RFK Stadium in Washington to advance to the semi-final of the confederation’s show piece tournament.

The Warriors are guaranteed two more fixtures in the CONCACAF competition. If they win just one of those matches, they will become the first Caribbean women’s team to ever qualify for a FIFA tournament.

“We know that Trinidad and Tobago needs this and we are honoured to put Trinidad and Tobago on the map in a more positive light once again,” said Trinidad and Tobago captain Maylee Attin-Johnson. “This is our first time at senior level we ever qualified to the second round of a tournament so this group is about making history and leaving a legacy.”

The Women’s Warrior captain was mostly right. In truth, Trinidad and Tobago got to the semi-finals of the inaugural Women’s CONCACAF Championship in 1991, under late coach Robbie Greenidge, and finished third. The two island republic’s only defeats of that competition came against the soon-to-be world champions, the United States, and Canada.

Attin-Johnson was five years old at the time.

The Trinidad and Tobago women were fourth again in 1993 and 1994. In contrast, it was not until 2000 that the men’s team got past the group stage in the CONCACAF tournament.

Photo: The “Women Soca Warriors” are bringing the good times back to Trinidad and Tobago’s women’s football.(Courtesy CONCACAF)

Two decades ago, then FIFA vice-president and local football special advisor Jack Warner said the women’s game represented Trinidad and Tobago’s best chance of advancing to a senior FIFA tournament and promised to develop their football. But, for the most part, it proved to be lip service and the ladies soon slipped behind the likes of Mexico and Costa Rica.

The women failed to get out of their group for the first time in 1998 and then did not win a match at all in the 2000, 2002 and 2006 editions while their only victory in the 2010 tournament came against Guyana.

The early promise did not last. Now, Attin-Johnson and company are trying to build a more lasting legacy.

On Friday night, the Warriors will face Costa Rica from 7.30 pm in the CONCACAF semifinal at the PPL Park in Chester, Pennsylvania before moving on to either the final or third place play off at the same venue on Sunday.

Should Trinidad and Tobago win one of those two games, coach Randy Waldrum and his players will make history. And, even if they lose both, there is still a chance of getting to the Canada World Cup via next month’s two-legged FIFA Play Off against Ecuador.

For the first time, glory is within touching distance for the Women Warriors.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago captain Maylee Attin-Johnson (number 9) is congratulated by Dernelle Mascall (second from right) and her teammates after her successful penalty kick against Guatemala in World Cup qualifying action.(Courtesy CONCACAF)

Much has been made about the women’s shambolic preparation en route to this competition. And there is still visible evidence of the internal issues as Lincoln “Tiger” Phillips and Ben Waldrum—the father of Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) general secretary Sheldon Phillips and son of the head coach, Waldrum, respectively—sit on the bench as assistants rather than local coach Marlon Charles, who guided most of the girls since they were teenagers but was sacked four days before their departure to the United States.

Waldrum’s infamous tweet will possibly last as long in the memory as anything the women have done on the field so far. But the more serious concern is the ill-timed injuries that kept the women in second gear for much of the tournament.

Veteran Tasha St Louis, who played in the false number nine role for Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Cup triumph but usually starts in midfield, and deep-lying playmaker Karyn “Baby” Forbes are two of the most influential players in the squad. But they barely managed a combined 90 minutes for the tournament due to hamstring injuries.

Versatile central defender Ayanna Russell and pacy, industrious midfielder Janine Francois are also struggling with knocks while, against Guatemala, Waldrum started with the teenaged Tanesha Palmer in goal due to the suspension of the Caribbean’s best goalkeeper Kimika Forbes.

Photo: Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kimika Forbes (right) holds on to the ball while United States attack Abby Wambach looks on.(Copyright AFP 2014)

“We haven’t played our best game yet,” Attin-Johnson told FoxSports. “Once we get our possession game going, I think we can go all the way to the finals.”

It was no idle boast. CONCACAF deserves to see the Trinidad and Tobago women at their best; perhaps, so does the World Cup.

And who knows how good they can be with the proper preparation and administrative support?

Yesterday, Waldrum made four changes to his starting team as versatile defender Lauryn Hutchinson returned to the first team while playmaker Dernelle Mascall and the teenaged pair of under-20 captain Anique Walker and Palmer made their first starts of the competition.

Incidentally, Walker is one of five players in the senior team who played at the 2010 Under-17 World Cup, which Trinidad and Tobago participated in as the host nation. Full backs Brianna Ryce and Liana Hinds and Khadisha and Khadidra Debesette also graduated from that youth team.

Against Guatemala, Waldrum used Attin-Johnson in a deeper role to compensate for Karyn Forbes’ absence while Mascall played just behind the striker.

Trinidad and Tobago moved the ball around briskly in the first two-thirds of the field but lacked inspiration through the centre in the final 40 yards with Mascall and Walker still trying to find their feet at this level.

Thankfully, wingers Ahkeela Mollon and Kennya “Yaya” Cordner did not need much help yesterday.

After a peripheral opener against the United States, Mollon was excellent in her last two outings and she again created the opener with a superb cross that Cordner finished with a confident, precise headed flick into the corner.

Cordner, the Tobago-born jewel who is a credit to Dwight Yorke’s legacy, also won the penalty for Trinidad and Tobago’s second goal which was comfortably dispatched by Attin-Johnson.

Guatemala got a consolation item in stoppage time as the Trinidad and Tobago defence reacted slowly to a left side free kick and Maria Monterroso capitalised with a backward header that deflected over Palmer.

By then, Trinidad and Tobago was already home and dry, though.

Costa Rica would be favourites on Friday. But the Central American nation will be wary of Cordner,Mollon and Attin-Johnson while Trinidad and Tobago’s rugged defensive set-up, led by Arin King, Rhea Belgrave and the returning Kimika Forbes, has been the team’s best quality so far.

Mascall and Walker should be more attuned to the competition by then too. And perhaps Mariah Shade, the Caribbean Cup’s MVP and a deceptive off-the-ball runner and clinical finisher at her best, will finally bring her understated menace to the competition.

Or, just maybe, Karyn Forbes will finally be ready for action to mesmerise with her set piece deliveries and combination of quick, short passes to free up her midfield partners and booming 40-yard balls to release Mollon and Cordner.

In midfield or upfront, St Louis’ long range shooting and creativity can be priceless.

The Women Warriors are nearly there. It is the little details that will make the difference now.

About Lasana Liburd

Lasana Liburd is the CEO and Editor at Wired868.com and a journalist with over 20 years experience at several Trinidad and Tobago and international publications including Play the Game, World Soccer, UK Guardian and the Trinidad Express.

30 comments

Returned de funds allyuh eh easy nah ..Christ said the poor woman who gave all she had vs the rich man who also gave ..gave much more than the rich man ..the Haitians should be given ten times the amount they gave us because they raised their own funds and only had $1500 ..allyuh eh easy nah.

Thanks to the Haitian women who came to their aid ..if wasn’t fuh Haiti dey wouldda starve! Poor Haiti raised their own funds and shared what little they had with these hungry girls …fuh me that’s the bigger story here..yeh these girls doing good but look what Trinidad did to them.

Lasana where this would have been a good point to restart our football in the eyes of the public and corporations we will now be set back by the FIFA ruling . There will be no mass support until the leadership is righted.

They continue to do us proud beside all their adversities. Also Anike is coming off an injury so we haven’t seen her at her best as she’s a far better player than what we saw last night. Hope they all have time to recover from their injuries. I was impressed with the substitute Goalie and the manner in which she handled herself. One to watch I smell a win on Friday. World Cup Ladies. Here we come.

Fearless because they are all basically good women on the bottom line. Inspiring.beautiful.classy.positive and fresh. Good clean football in the women’s game.Two Tobagonians strong and professional Forbes and Cordner. A captain who is a leader. Mollon who is a delight to watch. Shade who is yet to give her best and a Coach who knows they deserve the best. And a tournament far from the madding crowd down here.

Quite an impressive achievement. Do they get any help from our friends at the Min of Sport? Or even some of the change from Life Sport? I read that aid from Haiti a week or two ago, but guess there’s not much love lost between officialdom and the players.

Despite the money issues, thank God they wont be put in a maxi and paraded before any of these crucial games. One person I know would stand none of this has already showed that the tweet is mightier than the sword. The girls should comfortably go through.
When a bench and some juniors can do it, I can safely say that this is what the football is all about! I see succession in their legacy already. Soca Princesses nah, TT Empresses yaay!

3 weeks agoby wired868Chip off the old block? Mayo Youths attacker Tyrique Phillip (left) is on the prowl during RBYL South Zone Under-13 action on 7 April 2019. Tyrique is the son of Trinidad and Tobago National Senior Team goalkeeper and 2001 World Youth Cup player, Marvin Phillip. Photo: Allan V Crane/CA-Images/Wired868

3 weeks agoby wired868Save boi! T&T Maestros goalkeeper Jaydon Thomas keeps out a shot with the help of the bar during RBYL North Zone Under-13 action at the Queen’s Park Savannah on 27 April 2019. Photo: Allan V Crane/CA-Images/RBYL